Improvement in box-nailing machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MESSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOX-NAILING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,472, dated July 15,1879; application filed April 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MESSER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBox-Nailing Machines, of which the following, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the drawings is afront elevation of a machineembodying my invention Fig. 2, Sheet 1, a section in the plane of theline as m Fig. 3, Sheet 1, a section in the plane of the line 3 y; Fig.4, Sheet 1, a side view of the gage-adjusting blocks Fig. 5, Sheet 1, alike representation of the die-holder and hood; Fig. 6, Sheet 1, avertical central section of the parts shown in Fig. 5 Fig. 7, Sheet 1, abottom view of the same parts; Fig. 8, Sheet 1, a side view of the punchand its holder; Fig. 9, Sheet 2, a rear view of the upper part of themachine and Fig. 10, Sheet 2, a perspective of the guide-block, showingthe manner of attaching it to the frame of the machine. I

Like letters of reference, indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction and improvethe operation of machines of the class to which my invention relates inthe several respects hereinafter fully set forth.

A represents a standard, having a flat or disk-shaped base, adapted torest upon a table or work-bench. This standard, however, may form a partof a frame adapted to rest upon the floor.

The vertical part of the standard A is hollow, as represented in Figs. 2and 10, and when the standard is applied to a table or bench the lattershould have an opening therein to adapt the machine to be driven by atreadle, when a treadle is employed for that purpose, as represented inFig. 2.

B are wings extending laterally from the forward part of the standard A,and forming a vertical flat wall, B, in front of the machine, as isclearly indicated in Fig. l. U is a verti-. cal slot in the central partof the wall B. D

is a vertically-adjustable bracket or table arranged horizontally infront of the wall B, and connected adjustably thereto by means of abolt, a, and a nut, a. The table D is ribbed or extended into the slot0, so as to be retained in its horizontal position.

E E are webs or arms extending laterally from the upper end of thestandard A, and rearward from the upper part of the wall B. F F are barsor supports, arranged horizontally, and extending rearward from theupper corners of the wall B. The standard A is also slotted, as shown atG. I

All the parts now described, excepting the table D and the meansemployed for connecting it to the standard, may be cast in one piece.

The front face of the Wall E and the upper face of the tableD should beplaned or dressed off smoothly, and the sides of the slot 0 should alsobe smooth, so that the table will move or play freely therein and beheld accurately in its proper position.

It will be perceived that the standard or frame of the machine is verysimple in its con-- struction, and that it may be very easily made andadapted to the use for which it is intended.

H H arerectangular guide-plates, the horizontal arms of which are madeto receive and fit upon outwardly-projecting ribs 1) b on the supports FF. It is immaterial, however, whether the ribs 1) b are upon thesupports F F or upon the parts H H, or whether there be one or more ribsand corresponding grooves, the object being to match the guides H H uponthe supports F F in such a' manner that the vertical arms of the guideswill be firmly held in an accurately-vertical position, for the purposeshereinafter referred to.

I I are screws to retain the guides H H upon the supports F F. J J areslots in the vertical arms of the guides H H, and K K are flangesextending inward from the interior faces of the said arms, thus forminga vertical guideway for controlling the movement of parts hereinafterdescribed.

L is a cross-bar or rod, and M M are sliding blocks, arranged in theguideways in the parts H H. The blocks M M are slotted verticall y, asshown at c c, and are rigidly attached to the ends of the bar L. N is across-bar or rod passing freely through the slots 0 c, and O O aresliding blocks arranged in the guideways in the parts H H, the blocks MM being between the plates H H and the blocks 0 O, as shown, and thelatter being rigidly attached to the bar N.

P is a cross-bar passing freely through the 7 slots G G. This bar isconnected by means of rigid arms to the outer ends of the bar or rod N.O is a connecting-rod, connected at its upper end to the central part ofthe bar P, and at its lower end to the treadle. I deem it best to makethe upper part of the rod 0 screwthreaded, so that the machine may beeasily adjusted to tables or benches of different heights. When atreadle is employed it should be counterweighted; but I do not hereintend to restrict myself to any particular construc tion of treadle,nor is it even necessary that a treadle should be used, as the machinemay be driven by steam-power or otherwise.

,It may be here stated, before describing the construction and operationof the parts carried on the base or rods L and N, that a downwardpressure on the forward end of the treadle will draw down the bar N, andconsequently allow the bar L to descend, as the latter is suspended fromthe former by means of the slotted blocks M M. Should the descent of thebar L be stopped, however, the downward movement of the bar N may becontinued, for reason that it passes freely through the slots 0 0. Withthe release of the treadle the bar N will move upward and carry up thebar L when the upper ends of the slots 00 are reached. I will soonexplain the purpose of this movement, and I have onlyaeferred to thematter at this time in order to call attention to the fact thatthe meansI employ to accomplish such a movement are very simple, and that nicetyof construction is avoided.

- The guide-plates H H may be cast, and are applied to the supports F Fby merely being arranged on the ribs 1) b and by tightening the screws II, when they will be firmly held in the proper position, and so that theguideways will be accurately vertical, thereby causing the slidingblocks M and O to move in true vertical lines, without danger of theirbeing twisted therefrom by reason of any torsional strain to which theymay be subjected.

The guideways and sliding blocks arranged therein should, of 'course, besufficiently fitted and finished to move easily and truly; but even forthat purpose very little work is required.

Qis a punch or nail-driver, and It is a sliding block, from which itdepends vertically. The block R is mounted freely on the rod or bar N,so that it may be adjusted laterally thereon; and it is prevented frombeing rotated thereon, either by flattening the bar an d fitting theblock thereto, or by employing a feather for that purpose; and in thelatter case the feather may be applied either to thebar or to the block,the other part being grooved to receive the key or feather.

S is a setscrew entering the block R, and arranged for contact with therod or bar N. By loosening this screw the block may be ad justedlaterally on the rod, and by tightening it the block will be firmly heldin the position in which it is set.

T is the die-holder. The die-holder is mounted on the rod or bar L, inthe same manner that the block R is applied to the rod or barN;consequently the die-holderis laterally adjustable on its supporting rodor bar, and is prevented from being rotated thereon. In the forward partof the holder T is cylindrical opening (I, passing vertically throughthe holder, as represented in Fig. 6, and the upper face of this part ofthe holder is countersunk about the opening (I, as indicated at d.

c c are horizontally-arranged pins extending into the opening (1, nearits lower end.

U is a die or nail receiver. This die or receiver is tapering in form,being much smaller at the lower end than at the top. It is also flangedat the top, as shown at f, and this flange rests in the countersunk partof the holder T, in which the die is thus freely suspended; and theupper end of the die fills, or nearly fills, the upper end of theopening (I, as shown, while a widening or increasing space exists aboutthe die from its upper to its lower end, as is clearly represented inFig. 6. The die U is also hollow or tubular, as shown at g, and thistubular part or chamber g approximates the form of the exterior face ofthe die, making a very small, if any, opening in the bottom of the die,and flaring or s iireading from thence upward nearly to the top, whereit is rounded oif and becomes much broader than the remainin g part,substantially as shown. I make this die in two twin parts, or as if thedie, after being constructed in the manner already described, were splitcentrally from top to bottom, as shown at h.

V is a spring-clasp, surrounding the die and holding its two partstogether, the said parts being cut away to receive and support theclasp, and rendering the die laterally yielding as the punch Q, ispushed down through or into the contracted part of the die, it beingunderstood that the clasp is not a continuous ring, and that its endsmay be drawn or forced apart by the action of the punch in entering thedie. The pins 0 0 enter the die slightly between its twin parts, asindicated in Figs. 6 and 7.

W is a hood applied to the block or holder T, and extending over but notresting upon the die U. i i are projections on or near the forward endsor corners of the hood, and these projections extend into correspondingnotches in the flange f, which notches aremade at the meeting-line ofthe twin halves of the die, as represented by the broken lines in Fig.6, the hood also extending forward of thesaid line. The movement of thedie in expanding and contracting in the manner described is thus in noway interfered with by the hood; but the hood not only prevents the diefrom being drawn up from its holder, but also prevents the die frombeing turned therein. The pins 6 0 also aid in preventing the die frombeing turned, and keep the lower end of the die in the center of theopening (I or, in other words, they keep the die properly centered untilthe punch begins to drive the nail, and until the nail enters the box,as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In feeding nails to the dies, which is usually done from the rear ofmachines of this class, the nails are apt to fall forward far enough toprevent them from properly entering the dies. The hood IV, by extendingup from the front part of the die, as shown, prevents this tendency, andserves as a shield or guide to direct or aid in directing the nails intothe dies. The center of the punches is directly over the centers of thedies, and this central line passes a little way in front of the wall B,and rearward of the bars which carry the punches and die-holders, thisrearward arrangement admitting of the nails being fed. by hand withfacility and without danger, there being no necessity of extending thehand between the moving parts for that purpose. A is a gage, arranged infront of the wall B and extending below the dies. 0 O are blocks rigidlyattached to the rod or bar L, and arranged near the ends thereof. D Dare wedge-shaped or tapering blocks, having therein the vertical slots DD. Vertical arms A A extend upward from the lower part-of the gage A,and are clamped to the faces of the blocks D D by means of screws orclamps E E, which pass freely through the slots D D and enter the blocks0 0, thus clamping the blocks D D between the blocks 0 O and the arms AA of the gage A. The blocks D D may therefore be moved up and down byloosening the screws E E, and. when adjusted as may be desired they maybe fastened or held in place securely by tightening the screws E E. Toprevent the blocks D D from being tilted laterally, small ribs or lips jj may be made thereon and arranged to lap the sides of the blocks 0 O.

It will be perceived that as the rear faces of the blocks D D inclineforward, or are farther forward at the bottom than at the top, the gageA will be set more or less forward or away from the front face of thewall B by adjusting the blocks D D vertically in the manner described,it being understood that the gage A is thus connected to and movesvertically with the rod L, and that the gage is adjusted back and forthwith relation to the wall B by being raised and lowered with relation tothe said rod. A supplemental gage may also be applied to the gage A, orother wise employed, to determine the lateral position of the parts tobe nailed.

In order to use the machine now described, I arrange upon the bar L anumber of dieholders provided with hoods and containing dies ornail-receivers, the number being equal 'to the number of nails to bedriven at the same time; and upon the bar-N, I arrange a like number ofpunches or drivers. The distanee between the dies should, of course,correspond to the distance between the nails when driven.

In nailing together the parts of boxes, the

first step, usually, is to nail the sides to the ends, the parts beingfirst made of the proper dimensions. In other words, the frame of thebox is first nailed. I therefore adjust the table D such a distancebelow the dies, when they are near the lowest point of their descentwhen the treadle is depressed, that they will then rest upon the sidepiece arranged upon the end piece of the frame or box when these partsare arranged against the wall B in position for being nailed together,it being understood that for that purpose the end piece is to bearranged vertically on one end on the table, and with one face againstthe wall, and that one end of the side piece is to be supported on theupper end of the end piece, and also to be in contact with the wall, theside piece standing out horizontally therefrom.

If the distance between the upper end of the end piece and thelower endsof the dies is alittle greater than the thickness of one of the sidepieces, supposing the side pieces to be of equal, or nearly equal,thickness, the adjustment will be proper for beginning work.

After the end piece is arranged in the manner described there will beample room between it and the dies to allow the other side piece to bearranged on the other .end of the end piece. If the treadle be nowreleased the punches-or drivers and the dies or nail-holders will moveupward, the drivers starting first, and continuing until they are drawnout from the nail-holders, and until the latter are drawn up to theirhighest point of suspension, and until the dies and their holders, thelower ends of which are flush, or nearly flush, with each other, are ina position sufficiently above the parts to be nailed to allow the saidparts to be arranged in position for further work.

When the nails are fully driven the resistance. offered in the attemptto drive them farther will be sufficiently increased to be perceptibleto the operator, and the treadle should then be released.

When it is desirable that the downward movement of the treadle shouldcease with certainty at a given point, and that this result should beaccomplished automatically, I set two screws, F F, into the lower endsof the slides O O, or into other parts carried by the rod or bar N, orinto the rod itself, arranging the screws so that they will eitherstrike parts carried by the rod L or the rod L itself. The minordistance between the rods L and N may thus be regulatedby turning thescrews F F, and the downward movementot'the punches correspondinglyregulated.

Ordinarily the punches should pass to the lower ends of the dies, inorder to drive the nails fiushwith the wood and to free them from thedies. They may, however, pass below the dies, in order to set the nailsdeeper into the wood. 1

After the side piece is nailed to the end piece in the manner described,it may be nailed to the other end piece in like manner. The unnailedends of the end pieces are then turned the dies will descend until theyrest upon the side piece, the punches will continue to descend, and theoperation will be the same as when the first side piece was nailed.

It will also be perceived that this work is accomplished without afurther or special adjustment of the table D, owing to the independentmovement of the punch-carrying bar and the die-carrying bar. In otherwords, after the table D is once adjusted all the parts constituting theframe of the box may be nailed together without again adjusting any partof the machine.

Provision may also be made, in first adj usting the table, to allow thebottom to be nailed to the frame without further special adjustment forthat purpose, especially if the end pieces are square, or nearly so; andeven boxes varying from each other in size within a certain range may belikewise nailed, the frequency of adjustment depending upon thecorrespondence between the independent move ment of the punches anddies, the range within which the table is adjustable, and the swing ofthe treadle.

It is desirable that the nails should be driven in, or nearly in, thecenter of the edges of the end pieces, especially when those pieces are,

quite thin. Consequently when this thickness varies materially indifi'erent boxes provision should be made for bringing the centers ofthe edges directly below the centers of the dies. This I accomplish bymeans of the gage A, which may be adjusted for that purpose in themanner already described, it bein g understood that the parts to benailed together are to be placed against the gage instead of against thewall, when such a gage is employed.

It is obvious that many of the details of construction herein describedare not absolutely essential, and that some parts of the machine areonly auxiliary to, but not absolutely dependent upon, other parts,though I deem it preferable to employ those parts which are merelyauxiliary, for the reasons already given.

I do not, therefore, here intend to restrict myself to mere details andauxiliaries, except as hereinafter specifically set forth; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is-- 1. A box-nailing machine wherein is avertically-reciprocating punch or driver and a vertically -reciprocating nail-receiver or die, and in which the nail-receiver is movablevertically with relation to the driver, for the purposes set forth.

2. A boX-nailin g machine wherein the nailcarrier is suspended on avertically-reciprocating driver-carrier by means of open links,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, in a box-nailing machine, of the vertically-movablepunch bar or carrier N, the slotted blocks or links M M, the die bar orcarrier L, and the vertically-slotted guide-plates, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

4. The combination, in a box-nailing machine, of the horizontal supportsF F, forming a part of the frame, and the rectangular slotted andflanged guide-plates H H, matched to the said supports by means of ribsand grooves, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The combination of the fixed vertical wall 13, thevertically-adjustable table D, the vertically-reciprocatingnail-receivers U U, having their centers arranged in front of the wall Band rearward of the bar carrying the said receivers, and theindependently vertically-reciprocating punches, in a box nailingmachine, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. The combination of the die-holders T T, having therein the pins'e c,the dies U U, entered by the pins 0 0, and the spring-clasp V, allconstructed and arranged with relation to each other substantially asand for the purposes specified.

7. The combination of the flanged, tapering, and laterally-yieldingreceivers U U, consisting of twin parts, the holders T T, and the hookW, applied to the said holders, and having thereon the projections i i,extending into the upper or flanged end of the said receivers at pointsbetween the twin parts th ereof, substantially as and for the purposesspeci fied.

8. The combination of the hood W, having thereon the projections i t",the dies U U, entered by the parts it, and the die-holders T T,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. The combination of the adjustable gage A with the wall B and thedies, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

10. The combination of the gage A, the wall B, the dies, the taperingand slotted blocks D D, the blocks 0 O, and the clamps E E,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

HENRY MESSER.

Witnesses:

F. F. WARNER, H. G. BALLARD.

